Friday Night Lights: Sixth-Ranked Prince George's Men's Soccer Travels To CCBC Essex On Friday

GAME DAY INFORMATION
No. 6 Prince George's (2-0-0, 1-0-0 MD JUCO) vs
CCBC Essex (1-1-0, 0-0-0 MD JUCO)
Friday, September 8, 2017, 7:00 p.m.
CCBC Essex Stadium, Baltimore, Md. 

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opening pitch… After back-to-back 3-1 victories, sixth-ranked Prince George's will hit the road for two Maryland Junior College Athletic Association matches. The Owls travel to CCBC Essex on Friday for a game under the lights against the Knights. CCBC Essex defeated Prince George's 3-1 last season in Largo, but the Owls bested the Knights 2-1 in overtime two years ago in Baltimore.

last time out… Edwin Claros, Elmer Hernandez and Roshawn Panton each found the back of the net to power Prince George's Community College past Harford Community College 3-1 on Tuesday. Just like in the 3-1 win on Sunday against Nassau, Edwin Claros had a hand in the first two Owls goals on Tuesday night. The sophomore found the back of the twine in the 18th minute for his third goal of the season and then dished out an assist on the game-winner in the 67th minute. Hernandez notched his first career marker when he drilled in a deflection in the 67th minute to give the Owls the lead they would not relinquish.  For the second time in as many games, Panton sealed the victory with a goal late in the match.  Jonathan Claros made seven saves for Prince George's while William Chavez and El Sherif each recorded an assist in the winning effort.

next time out… Prince George's concludes its short two-game road trip on the other side of the Bay Bridge when the squad heads to Chesapeake on Sept. 12. The Owls return home against Cecil on Sept. 15 to start a four-game homestand. The Owls will play four matches in a nine-day span.

in the ranks… The Prince George's Community College men's soccer team maintained its preseason ranking as the No. 6 team in the country in the National Junior College Athletic Association Men's Soccer Coaches Division III Ranking, announced on Wednesday. The Owls, who sat in the No. 6 position in the preseason poll after being ranked for five weeks in the 2016 season, earned five points to rank sixth in the first rankings of the regular season. Prince George's defeated No. 5 Nassau 3-1 on Sunday in the squad's only match of the week that counted toward the poll. Richland received 10 points to stay in the No. 1 position, one point ahead of Herkimer (9 points) in the second spot. Bunker Hill (8 points), Montgomery (7 points), Camden County (6 points), Prince George's, Triton (4 points), Suffolk County (3 points), Genesee (2 points) and Bristol (1 point) rounded out the 10-team poll.

edwin claros not missing a step… Sophomore Edwin Claros posted 17 goals and nine assists for 43 points. The sophomore recorded 14 goals and six assists for 34 points in his last 12 games as a freshman and has registered three goals and one assist for seven points in 2017. He has register 17 tallies and seven helpers for 41 points in his last 14 games. Edwin Claros in his two-year collegiate career has 20 goals and 10 assists for 50 points.

collegiate firsts… Roshawn Panton notched his first collegiate goal in the match against Nassau on Sept. 3 while Elmer Hernandez found the twine for the first time in his career against Harford on Sept. 5.

in the net… Sophomore Jonathan Claros has registered 15 saves, a 1.00 goals against average and a .882 save percentage this season after boasting 74 saves, a 1.18 goals against average and a .763 save percentage as a freshman. He recorded a career-high 10 stops against Camden County on Nov. 10, 2016.

the word on the knights… CCBC Essex comes into the match 1-1-0 overall and 0-0-0 in Maryland JUCO play after falling 3-2 to Harcum on Sunday. The Knights have five goals and four assists for 14 points on the year. 

about last season… Prince George's finished 14-7 and captured its sixth NJCAA Division III Region XX Tournament title and fifth trip to the national championships. The Owls defeated Anne Arundel 4-1 in the Region XX Semifinals and then earned a 1-0 victory against Montgomery for the squad's first region title since 2009. Prince George's finished fifth on the national stage after falling to Camden County 2-0 and defeating Bristol 4-1.

returning all-american… Sophomore Edwin Claros was named an NJCAA Second-Team All-American after leading the team with 17 goals and nine assists for 43 points. He registered five multi-goal performances including hat tricks against Allegany and Northern Virginia. The sophomore has one multi-goal performance in 2017.

men's soccer tradition… The 2017-18 athletic season marks the 50th Anniversary of the start of intercollegiate athletics at Prince George's Community College. The college started at Suitland High School in 1957 before moving to its current Largo campus in the fall of 1967. Prince George's began an intercollegiate athletic program in the fall of 1967 and the men's soccer program was one of the first programs created. The men's soccer program is also one of the most successful teams in the first 50 years after claiming six National Junior College Athletic Association Region XX Tournament titles (1982, 1983, 1996, 1999, 2009, 2016) and five appearances in the national tournament (1982, 1983, 1996, 1999, 2016). In addition, men's soccer has produced 43 NJCAA All-Americans in this span.

alumni day… As part of the 50th Anniversary celebration, Prince George's athletics is hosting a Student-Athlete Alumni Day on Saturday, September 30. Any former student-athlete is invited to the event that will feature alumni soccer games or alumni basketball events and a catered barbecue. The event is free to former student-athlete alumni, one guest over the age of 15 and up to four children 14 years old or younger. To participate in Alumni Day, please pre-register by September 22 at www.pgccowls.com/alumniday

about the coach… Taiye Akinmboni will serve as the interim head coach for the men's soccer program for the 2017 season after serving as an assistant coach for the Owls. Akinmboni came back to Prince George's in 2004 as a volunteer coach with the men's soccer program. He later became the goalkeeper coach before serving as an assistant coach. Akinmboni played for the Owls in 1998 and 1999, including being a member of the NJCAA Region XX championship and finishing 4th at the national tournament in 1999.